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Walk or wheels: Stamford reps have a month to figure out West Main Street bridge fix

By Angela Carella| on
August 9, 2018

The floor beams of the West Main Street bridge have eroded.

The floor beams of the West Main Street bridge have eroded.

Photo: Photo Courtesy Of The City Of Stamford

Photo: Photo Courtesy Of The City Of Stamford

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The floor beams of the West Main Street bridge have eroded.

The floor beams of the West Main Street bridge have eroded.

Photo: Photo Courtesy Of The City Of Stamford

Walk or wheels: Stamford reps have a month to figure out West Main Street bridge fix

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STAMFORD — City representatives this week decided to hold off on accepting a $2 million offer to repair the historic, crumbling West Main Street bridge.

But the offer for the 1888 bridge in Mill River Park has an expiration date.

The State Bond Commission, which awarded the grant to the Mill River Collaborative, will want to know next month how it will be spent, said Arthur Selkowitz, chairman of the nonprofit group, which has partnered with the city on a multimillion-dollar renovation of the downtown park.

The Bond Commission meets Sept. 28.

“I have to inform them how the money will be used,” said Selkowitz, who agreed to spend it to fix the 125-foot iron bridge, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. “When the grant was being considered, it was originally going to be used for Mill River Park. But before the Bond Commission met, we discussed it with the city and asked the state to redirect the money to the bridge, with the goal of opening it by 2020.”

There was an understanding that “if that is not what the city decides, I could redirect the money back to the park,” Selkowitz said. “The Bond Commission will formalize that in September, if that’s the way the city decides to go.”

To meet the commission’s deadline, the Board of Representatives must decide at its Sept. 4 meeting, he said.

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The city engineer has said the bridge may not survive the next large storm that sends large volumes of water down the Mill River. The Engineering Department reached a tentative deal with a contractor to repair it as a pedestrian bridge for $2 million. Members of the Board of Finance and the Operations Committee of the Board of Representatives have voted to accept the contract.

But this week the full board voted 35-1 to kick the contract back to the committee.

Two things are at issue.

First, the grant would repair the 125-foot bridge only for pedestrian use. The state Department of Transportation deemed the bridge unsafe for cars 16 years ago.

Selkowitz favors that use, saying it is safer and in keeping with the character of the park, situated between downtown and the West Side. West Side residents, however, say their neighborhood can thrive only if it is better connected to downtown, and want the bridge to accommodate cars.

The second issue is that representatives have questions about a no-bid contract drafted with Wengell, McDonnell & Costello, the company that has worked with city engineers for years to shore up the failing bridge. Representatives said during their Monday night meeting they want to review the contract to ensure it is the best deal for the city. They also want to schedule a public hearing so West Side residents can weigh in before they vote on the contract, representatives said.

Neighborhood advocate Bonnie Kim Campbell, who spoke at the board meeting, helped convince them. Campbell presented a petition with the signatures of 128 West Side residents who want a vehicular bridge, saying the city’s decision to spend the grant on a pedestrian-only structure is rushed and denies them due process.

“Nobody has spoken to us,” Campbell told the board. “The West Side needs a voice … we need a compromise.”

Nearly all the representatives who attended the meeting agreed. Rep. Susan Nabel, D-20, said the petition “is compelling evidence that there is a large portion of the community that has something to say about this issue,” and “they should have the chance to say it” at a public hearing.

A date for the Operations Committee meeting will be set next week.

After Monday’s board meeting, Rep. Rodney Pratt, D-9, who has lived on the West Side for 35 years, said he has several questions. One is raised by his reading of the June 1 Analysis of State Bond Commission Agenda Items prepared by the state Office of Fiscal Analysis, Pratt said.

The analysis states that the $2 million allocation to the Mill River Collaborative “will be used for the redevelopment of the West Main Street bridge,” and presents a table showing previous allocations.

The table shows the state DOT allocated $6 million for the bridge in March 2010. The city engineer has said the allocation comes with state and federal approvals that would delay work for at least five years.

“I want to follow the money,” said Pratt, majority leader of the board.

The bridge should be reopened to cars to allow easier access to West Side businesses from downtown, and to improve traffic flow between the neighborhoods, Pratt said.

“Traffic is horrendous on Route 1 and West Broad Street,” Pratt said. “Another egress point is going to help.”

His fellow Democrat from District 9, Rep. Jeffrey Stella, said time must be taken to hear what West Siders have to say.

“I don’t understand why the city had to be forced into a deal that had to happen right away. This bridge has been an eyesore for the nine years I have lived in Stamford,” Stella said. “In that time, no one could figure out how to fix it? Now all of a sudden, they come out with a statement that it could fall down any minute. If it’s that bad, why wasn’t it put in the budget for this year?”

Selkowitz said the collaborative has worked to connect the West Side and downtown, and a pedestrian-only bridge is the safest, most effective way. He said he wants to move quickly so work can begin next summer and be finished by summer 2020, before the collapsing bridge supports fail for good.

Beyond that, “we welcome a public hearing,” he said.

“We’re not trying to dictate or ram anything down people’s throats. We believe this is the best way to use the money,” Selkowitz said. “But it’s up to the people and the Board of Representatives.”